Adult Nationals:

The U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships is the most prestigious and important adult ice skating competition in the United States.

History:

The first U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships was held in 1995 in Wilmington, Delaware. Four-hundred and twenty-one competitors participated in the first adult nationals.

Age of Participants:

The participants in the U.S. Adult Nationals must be at least twenty-one years old.

In 2007, the oldest competitor was eighty-one years old.

Participating Athletes:

Approximately five-hundred figure skaters compete in the U.S. Adult National Figure Skating Championships each year.

To compete in the championship masters and championship gold events, the skaters must place in the top four at the qualifying sectional championships in their area.

Skaters participating in other events may register directly to compete in adult nationals without competing in a previous qualifying competition.

Events:

Skaters compete in singles, pairs, and ice dance.

The championship masters and championship gold events are the highlight of the competition. It is common to see skaters in those events landing many double jumps, including double axels. Larry Holliday was the first competitor to land a triple jump at the U.S. Adult National Championships.

There are also artistic-dramatic interpretive and light entertainment-comedy interpretive events held at adult nationals. Some unusual costumes are worn in those events and some very creative programs are done during the interpretive part of the competition.

Prior Competitive Experience:

Some of the participants in adult nationals ice skated as children, but many of the competitors paricipating in the event began figure skating when they were adults.

Professions:

Most of the competitors have full-time jobs and make the time to train at competitive figure skating. Some of the competitors are doctors, lawyers, college professors, teachers, actors, artists, ministers, and writers.